The biggest problem of having a hobby is that sometimes it can get out of control.
I treat baking as a hobby, but lately I think it is more like an obsession than an innocent past time. I don't know why, but ever since I picked up this hobby four years ago, my enthusiasm never seems to subside. It is not something bad since my time and effort is well spent on creating homemade cakes and bread for my family. Except for the occasional kitchen mishaps, nothing is gone to waste...
really, nothing is gone to waste...whatever I baked and subsequently consumed have found their way back on my body :_(
Like what my cyberfriend VB once said, at our age, we grow fat even by breathing in air! One of my friends had also warned me that a person will put on weight just by thinking about food! Now, how do you expect a food blogger not to think about food all the time?! So, once in a while, I make it a point to cut down on my calorie intake and also to 'clear my body'.
While my children slurped up their laska with relish, I prepared a no-cook lunch for myself.
This simple, just toss salad is a complete replica of what was served as a side along a breakfast meal I had at the coffee beans. This combination is easy on the palette even for someone who doesn't like to have their greens raw. What can go wrong with romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries and toasted almond flakes? All you need is just a simple lemon vinaigrette to dress it up.
Throughout our meal, my elder child kept eying my salad, totally green in envy. He told me he also wanted the same thing the next day. I granted his wish and he got to prepare his own no cook lunch the following afternoon. Instead of the lemon vinaigrette dressing, he came up with his own concoction...mashed hard boil egg with mayonnaise. I must say it tasted really good if you don't mind the extra calories! Even his brother who is not a salad person was completely sold. I didn't have chance to take a photo as he was already busy eating while I was clearing up the mess. His salad somewhat reminds me of caesar salad, which happens to be my all time favourite. I am quite inspired by his dish and it is no surprise that I have just placed caesar salad on top of my to-do list :)
Recipe for my lemon vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or salad oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to taste, add more if a more lemony taste is desired)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
really, nothing is gone to waste...whatever I baked and subsequently consumed have found their way back on my body :_(
While my children slurped up their laska with relish, I prepared a no-cook lunch for myself.
Throughout our meal, my elder child kept eying my salad, totally green in envy. He told me he also wanted the same thing the next day. I granted his wish and he got to prepare his own no cook lunch the following afternoon. Instead of the lemon vinaigrette dressing, he came up with his own concoction...mashed hard boil egg with mayonnaise. I must say it tasted really good if you don't mind the extra calories! Even his brother who is not a salad person was completely sold. I didn't have chance to take a photo as he was already busy eating while I was clearing up the mess. His salad somewhat reminds me of caesar salad, which happens to be my all time favourite. I am quite inspired by his dish and it is no surprise that I have just placed caesar salad on top of my to-do list :)
Recipe for my lemon vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or salad oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to taste, add more if a more lemony taste is desired)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
28 comments:
MMmm yum! I like dried cranberries in salad, ^o^ and I must agree about the breathing equals get fat as we get older ^^; so annoying!
hhb!, You are so funny! Ya agree with you, i also put on weight even by smelling in the air, even more if it's "laksa/nasi lemak air".. haha.. Once we hit the 35+++, our metabolic rate decreases so much, that we put on weight so easily without indulging in these "sinful food"..
So let's derive joy from seeing our kids eat all these.. As i always tell my kids " happiness is seeing others being happy"
Your salad is so pretty and colorful!Must do this one day
Gooday, cupcake
WOw..this was easy to whip out and i am sure it will make a good and health lunch/snack as well as some thumb up choices for gathering too :p
Beautiful salad.....so colourful and healthy! I'm amused to hear that you can pt on weight even just breathing in air...haha. I have heard of my friend said that she can even put on weight just drinking plain water. Maybe all of us food bloggers need to add lots of exercise into our life so that we can enjoy more food :D
This bowl of salad is super refreshing with fantastic color. Wah! Are you sure we will just put on weight by just thinking about food? Then I must stop thinking about it but how could I do that? We are food bloggers hahaha....
Haha.. Nice one there =] Eat more veges is good for health~
I desperately need this salad to "detox" my body too! Looks very yummy... but can't help thinking how "empty" my tummy will be even after eating this. :P
Hi HHb
i totally agree with you that when we age, we tend to put on weight faster... gone are the days when i can indulge in buffets without gaining wt , so sad :(
can i just check with u on the recipe? must i use sea salt or normal salt will do?
thks
octopusmum
Cupcake, you are right it is a joy to watch my kids eat. But I don't feel deprived at all, because to me this salad is equally tasty as a bowl of laksa ;)
Ellena, yes, this is so easy to put together, great for lousy cook like me ;)
Octopusmum, yes you can use normal table salt, I have changed to organic sea salt or rock salt for the past couple of years.
it is a sad fact of getting older, that the body seems to preserve all the energy it gets and turns it into fat. I like to think it is some old survival thing, that when we were hunter gatherers, the older ones would be reliant on food brought to them, so therefore the body made a lot of fat to protect it when there wasn't much food.
I like your salad, so colourful and enticing!
I do this once in a while for myself and my younger girl. It's heartening to watch young children eating salad and I'm sure you were pleased with yours.
So I have left 4/5 years before starting to put up weight? OMG, now I'm desperate! I have to eat everything now, before hit 35!! ah ah ah
Beautiful, superhealthy salad, full of color and happyness. This stuff keeps you slim and young
have a good day
Martina
HHB,my weight keep increasing ever since I started to bake. It is so hard for me to do some diet program now cos simply cant resist food now esp those that I make (have to 捧自己的场right :P). I salute to you that you can resist the temptation of the laksa that your sons were eating, I think mostly I will surrender hahaha... I will definitely love the salad that prepared by your son, I love mayo with mashed egg. he is such an expert, like mother like son.
Yeah i agree! women can get heavier just by breathing air!! oh gosh how bad can it get.. no matter how much greens i take and how much
carbs i avoid, i still get heavy :(
i love the way your greens are prepared. simple fuss free and lots of colours and nutrients! the lemon vinaigrette sounds good and yummy!
I am in Mersing now with my in laws. I am complaining to her that I am getting fatter cos I have been baking quite often these few weeks. Imagine, everyday I must eat what I bake (taste test before I let my kids eat) .. then my mil says 上了年紀避不了的。Now this is the passport to continue eating hahahahahaha
Seriously, I love the greens ...
Hi HHB, just want to let you know that you got an ward from me. I'm not sure whether you have received this award earlier...but you really deserved this award. Do check out my blog.
Such lovely colours...! I love my salad with my meat ;), but my husband is a real salad person, so this would be perfect for him !
Jess, I must confess, I did steal a few scoops of the laska gravy from my kids ;)
Missy, I didn't realised it until it is too late. You are still young, so do keep up with your healthy lifestyle :)
Sherlyn, I comfort myself with this theory: as we grow older, our body will start to shrink, and we will get thinner, so it is better to have some flesh now, so we won't shrink into nothing when we become LKK (lau kok kok) in the future. Here's another passport to enjoy your food ;)
lena, thanks so much for the award :) I feel so honoured!
HHB, you know I used to be eating salad at least 2 to 3 times a wk. Somehow when I have to prepare separate meals for my kids and me, I got lazy, lol! So usually I try to make more steam or boil dishes. But seriously I love salad! You know last time I would buy this Blue cheese, cranberry, walnut salad from Wholefoods everytime I go there...until I learn to replicate it myself at home. Your salad looks super too...thanks for the reminder that we should be eating healthy... :)
Your salad looks very colour and nutritious. I've been taking salad regularly too. However, I really ran out of ideas on the dressings. Thanks for sharing this salad dressing. It'll be a nice change for me. :)
This salad is so colorful. What a lovely sight! Actually when you do not know what to eat for lunch, salad is the best choice:D
Whenever i go for buffet, I'll prepare a bowl of caesar salad for myself! Hardly do it at home as these salad veggies do not come cheap, and probably turns brown by the time i finished them all! Love your green pix (",)
HHB, I laughed at the tales of growing fat even from breathing and thinking about food. I suspect there is truth... Beautiful salad!
Bee Bee, you must be referring to the years you spent at Bay Area! You can get big bags of fresh greens at Costco at a great price, not forgetting the sweet and juicy tomatoes. The greens suitable for salads here is so much more expensive. I will ask my DH to try the salad on his next trip :)
Jane, next time I will share another salad dressing...I think you will like it!
Quay Po Cooks, yes, salad is the best choice for me :)
quizzine, I agree with you, over here, the greens suitable for salad is not cheap, and the choices/variety is so limited :(
Shirley, it is true! It has got to do with hormones, and also aging, studies have shown that on average, women between mid 40s to mid 50s will put on one pound a year!!! So it is good to adopt a healthy lifestyle when you are still young :)
Thanks HHB! I'll be looking forward to your salad dressing! :)
Hi HHB, I made ur cinammon rolls and they were awesome! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I totally have the problem of balancing baking as a hobby/obsession. My family always remind me to put my studies forward etc etc...but it is just so much fun!!
Ps. In my excitement I forgot to say that your salad looks delicious. I love the texture that nuts give to salads.
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